


Enter Patches

by franscats



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-03-13 21:16:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3396608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franscats/pseuds/franscats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Blair adopt a "pushy" cat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Enter Patches

**Author's Note:**

> This is pre-slash.  
> It was written for the Sentinel Thursday challenge - #366 - Cat

Enter Patches

“Jim did you ever think of getting a dog?” Blair asked, as he looked at the ASPCA adopt a pet mobile, parked in the center of the mall. In small cages or pens were pets that the ASPCA were offering for adoption. One cage had a small puppy playing with a chew toy, his small tail wagging furiously as he barked at shoppers waiting for one to play with him.

“No Chief,” Jim answered, not even glancing at the pets as he scanned the mall before his eyes settled on the two men sitting in the Caribbean style restaurant under a tropical umbrella. Jim had somehow ended up agreeing to fill in, for an hour, on a security detail guarding one Eric Brooks. Eric Brooks, founder and CEO of Support Cascade’s Finest, otherwise called the SCF, a non profit organization that collected funds for widows of police officers who died in the line of duty, was sitting and having lunch with a possible financial backer. The man had recently received death threats from a psycho who believed that widows should fend for themselves. There was an APB out on the guy, Ray Jones, but until the nut was caught Eric Brooks was being protected. It wouldn’t do for the founder of SCF to be hurt for supporting the cops. 

Making another scan of the mall, Jim ground his teeth, the muscle in his jaw jumping as he tried to ignore the holiday lights twinkling, the Christmas music playing, and the mad rush of people shopping. He knew by the end of the hour he was going to be sporting a migraine but there was really nothing he could do about it. Beside him, his anthropology student, guide and observer, was busy looking around with interest. Jim had already endured a discussion of how the mall at Christmas was a miniature version of humanities best and worst aspirations and one on the significance of the Yule in ancient cultures.

“What about a cat?” Blair asked, as his eyes moved from the puppy to the cute little kitten sitting in a cage.

“Don’t like cats?” Jim answered, distracted.

“How can you say that?” Blair lowered his voice. “Your spirit animal is a feline.”

“Yeah, out in the wild I like them just fine. In a house they smell.”

“Cats don’t smell.”

“Yes they do and so do their litter boxes,” Jim answered. “Sensitive nose,” the detective tapped his nose with a glance at the guide. “Remember?” 

Blair frowned. “You know I bet we could desensitize you to the smell if you wanted a cat.”

“And just why would I want one?” Jim asked, his eyes following a shopper who shuffled along and was drifting towards Eric Brooks. Jim’s body language began to alter as he watched the suspicious shopper, his muscles loosening in preparation for a quick move.

“A cat could be a friendly companion to cuddle with. It’s not like I’ve seen you with any beautiful women lately.”

“And you think a cat is a substitute?” Jim shook his head at “table leg” Sandburg.

“Well no, not really, but since you have a feline spirit animal, I thought.”

“Don’t,” Jim interrupted, his eyes still on Eric Brooks and the shopper.

“Don’t think?”

“Don’t say anything. Anyway, I haven’t seen you dating anyone lately.”

And there was the truth, neither man had been on a date in some time and neither would admit why to the other.

“Yeah,” Blair agreed. “I’ve been in a slump. Thanks so much for mentioning that fact.”

“You started it,” Jim answered, before zeroing in on the glint of metal in the strange shopper’s hand and striding across the room to grab the shadowy figure nearing Eric Brooks. Blair blinked as he saw his sentinel disappear and than ran after him. He hadn’t realized Jim had been tracking someone.

Coming up just behind Jim, Blair watched as the sentinel moved quietly stalking the shadowy figure before suddenly leaping into an attack and spinning the man around. Jim kicked the man’s hand knocking away what was obviously a knife before tackling the man and using his own body weight to pin the would be assassin while reaching for his handcuffs. Turning the knife wielding man over, Jim looked into the face of Ray Jones. “Call it in Chief,” he handed Blair his phone. “Tell them we caught Ray Jones.” As Blair made the call Jim read the man his rights before turning to Eric Brooks. “Are you alright?” he asked.

The CEO nodded. “He never got near me. Thank you, Officer...”

“Ellison,” Jim answered, with a nod, and moved Ray Jones to a more secure spot until two uniforms arrived on the scene. Handing over Jones, Jim turned to Blair. “Let’s get out of here,” he suggested. “We can fill in the paperwork tomorrow.” The pair had been on their way home from a late night shift when asked to fill in for the hour.

“Before we leave, I’d like to run a quick test.”

“Come on Sandburg, I already have a headache.” Blair turned and looked at his sentinel with concern.

“It’s the sensory bombardment, man. Dial down sight and hearing, you are no longer on watch, Brooks is safe.” He watched as Jim did as instructed. The relief was immediately apparent and Blair smiled. “Okay, now you’re good to go. Let’s do the little test. It’ll be quick and then we’ll go and I’ll make you some lasagna for dinner,” Blair wheedled. The surest way to get Jim to take a test was through his stomach.

“With real sausage, not that turkey stuff you tried to pass off last time.” 

Blair sighed, thinking about Jim’s arteries, but nodded. “With real sausage,” he agreed, hooking a hand on the detective’s arm and dragging him toward the pet mobile. Jim seeing where the student was heading, groaned debating if lasagna was worth entering the area but a not so gentle yank drew him inside past the pets on display and into the mobile.

Inside, even Blair had to admit the air was not exactly sweet. In addition, loud children were squealing with delight over puppies and kittens and begging to get one. Jim standing beside Blair looked around as the headache notched up a degree. “What’s the test?”

“Since your animal spirit is a cat, albeit a really large one, I want to see how other cats respond to you.” At that statement, Jim started to turn and head out, but Blair caught his arm. “Come on, this will only take a couple of minutes.”

He walked over to the cages that displayed the pretty felines and glanced around the people. All the cages had people standing around oohing and ahhing, except one. In one cage, at the way back as far from the crowd as possible sat a half grown cat that hissed anytime anyone came near. It was small, with black and white patches on its head, black paws and white markings around its nose and tail, and obviously it was not friendly. Even a sign in the front of the cage said not to put fingers in. Pulling Jim over, Blair ignored the sign completely and slipped his fingers into the cage. There was an immediate growl and hiss and he pulled his fingers back as the cat tried to swipe at him with its claws.

The attendant nearby shook his head, “That cat is not friendly. I’d stay away from him.”

“How come?” Blair asked, as he maneuvered Jim in front of the cage.

“I’m afraid he must have been abused. He trusts no one. We are going to have to put him down.” As the attendant said the words sadly, Jim looked at the small black and white bundle and then slowly put his fingers through the bars. There was no hiss. Slowly, tentatively, the small cat moved to Jim’s fingers sniffing them and then rubbing against them and purring. “I’ll be damned,” the attendant said looking on. “That cat has responded to no one but you.”

Jim smiled, a finger running over the soft fur, as Blair despite the attendant’s warning opened the cage door. Instantly, the cat leaped into Jim’s arms rubbing its body on him.

“I think it likes you Jim,” Blair stated.

“Yeah well,” he put the small cat back into the cage and listened, with a less than thrilled expression, as it began to cry. The attendant, thinking the cat had gotten over its fear reached a finger into the bars and pulled back immediately as claws went for his fingers.

“Too bad,” the attendant shook his head. “I was hoping this one would find a home for Christmas but it doesn’t look likely. It was his last chance.”

“What will happen to him?” Blair asked. 

“We’ll have to put him down. We’ve been trying to find him a home for two weeks,” the attendant shook his head and Blair looked up at his sentinel with pleading eyes that the puppies could envy.

“Blair, no.”

“Jim, you are his last chance.”

“Blair no,” Jim turned to leave, but stopped as he heard a soft whine from the cat. Turning back he looked at his guide and then the cat. “You’ll take care of the litter box and every thing else that comes up with this creature?” he asked.

“Every thing, every day man,” Blair promised.

Jim turned to the attendant giving in to the inevitable. He always had a hard time saying no to his guide. “I’ll adopt that cat.”

Two hours later, Patches was home in the loft, exploring, as Jim watched Blair fill a litter box and put it in the bathroom beneath the sink. “As if the bathroom’s not dirty enough after you finish,” Jim grumbled, but despite the grumbling he reached a hand down to pet the cat before turning to get a beer. 

Blair smiled at his sentinel’s grumbling and went into the kitchen to get dinner going as Patches jumped onto the counter to watch him. Seeing the cat, Blair filled the cat’s dishes placing them on the floor and watched Patches sniff disdainfully before leaving and following Jim into the living room. Jumping up onto the couch beside the detective the cat curled up and went to sleep as Jim read the newspaper, a hand reaching down every once in a while to stroke the soft fur.

The evening went quietly. The new addition to the loft alternately exploring and sleeping and before midnight Jim stretched, wished Blair and Patches good night and headed up to bed. Secretly, Blair suspected Patches would follow him up and would be sleeping with Jim and Blair was admittedly envious, he would very much like to sleep with Jim, actually, he would like to do a lot more than sleep, but he was terrified to even suggest it. But Patches didn’t go up. He curled on the sofa and every once in a while would open an eye and stare at Blair. The student finished what he was reading, stretched, reached down to pet Patches, who jumped away and then turned to his own bed. 

After visiting the bathroom and getting ready for bed, Blair entered his own room and stopped. Patches stood in the middle of the bed and hissed as Blair came near. “Patches this is my bed, you can sleep with me but you can’t have the whole bed.” Blair tried to slip in beside the cat but Patches would have none of it. He snarled, growling in a way that Jim would envy and swiped at Blair who backed up. “Patches come on. I need some sleep,” Blair whined. The cat didn’t seem to care, but continued staring at Blair, its backed arched, its tail swishing back and forth, obviously ready to pounce, daring Blair to come closer. Deciding the cat was still adjusting to its new home and giving in, Blair turned and went back into the living room, snagging the throw and laying down. As soon as he did, the cat leaped right onto his chest and growled again, its claws slowly pushing through blanket and tee shirt. Jumping up to keep the sharp claws from drawing blood, Blair looked at the cat. It wasn’t going to let him sleep in his room or the living room. Slowly, Blair stepped away from Patches until he found himself by the steps to Jim’s bedroom. He sat down on the step waiting but Patches made no move toward him. 

Yawning, Blair considered what to do. He could sleep on the step or he could sleep with Jim. The sentinel had a big, warm bed and a hot body. Thinking it over, Blair suspected it might not be a good idea to go up there. There would be a hell of a lot of temptation but he was too tired to do anything tonight anyway. Inching up the stairs, Blair waited to see if Patches would allow it, but the small cat curled on the couch watching Blair as he made his way up.

Up in Jim’s bedroom, the dim light from downstairs silhouetted Jim’s body and Blair moved slowly around the bed before slipping under the blankets trying to stay as far from the sentinel as possible. Of course, getting into bed woke Jim and he pulled off his sleeping mask and stared at the guide, his eyes immediately adjusting for the lack of light. “Blair what are you doing?”

“Patches won’t let me sleep in my room or on the couch,” Blair answered, knowing how ridiculous it sounded. In the dark, he couldn’t see his sentinel’s amused smiled or the look he gave Blair’s body, as Jim stared at him.

“Patches weighs 8 pounds, you weigh, 150. I think you could take on Patches, Chief.”

“He needs a day or two to adjust Jim, so just go to sleep already,” Blair answered, impatiently. He didn’t like being pushed around by cats and he knew he was going to be hearing about this for some time to come. “I’ll stay on this side.”

Jim shook his head and mumbled something about troublesome cats or guides; Blair wasn’t sure which, as he repositioned himself and then chuckled. Blair hearing the chuckle silently groaned as he buried himself beneath the blankets. He knew he wasn’t going to hear the end of this.

Twenty minutes later, both men were sleeping and Patches stalked up the stairs and moved over to Blair’s side of the bed, little claws gently prodding the guide until, still asleep, he rolled away from what was bothering and into Jim’s body, snuggling into the warmth. Still asleep, Jim’s arms came around holding his guide lovingly, his nose resting in his guide’s hair, as his body, recognizing his guide, relaxed completely, senses locked onto Blair. 

Patches seeing the two curled into each other, trotted back down to Blair’s room and curled up between a black jaguar and a wolf, both of whom groomed him gently before he too went to sleep.


End file.
